Stability of Saxitoxin in 50% Methanol Fecal Extracts and Raw Feces from Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus)

In recent decades, harmful algal blooms (HABs) producing paralytic shellfish toxins (including saxitoxin, STX) have become increasingly frequent in the marine waters of Alaska, USA, subjecting Pacific Arctic and subarctic communities and wildlife to increased toxin exposure risks. Research on the risks of HAB toxin exposures to marine mammal health commonly relies on the sampling of marine mammal gastrointestinal (GI) contents to quantify HAB toxins, yet no studies have been published testing the stability of STX in marine mammal GI matrices. An understanding of STX stability in test matrices under storage and handling conditions is imperative to the integrity of toxin quantifications and conclusions drawn thereby. Here, STX stability is characterized in field-collected bowhead whale feces (stored raw in several treatments) and in fecal extracts (50% methanol, MeOH) over multiple time points. Toxin stability, as the percent of initial concentration (T0), was reported for each storage treatment and time point. STX was stable (mean 99% T0) in 50% MeOH extracts over the 8-week study period, and there was no significant difference in STX concentrations quantified in split fecal samples extracted in 80% ethanol (EtOH) and 50% MeOH. STX was also relatively stable in raw fecal material stored in the freezer (mean 94% T0) and the refrigerator (mean 93% T0) up to 8 weeks. STX degraded over time in the room-temperature dark, room-temperature light, and warm treatments to means of 48 ± 1.9, 38 ± 2.8, and 20 ± 0.7% T0, respectively, after 8 weeks (mean ± standard error; SE). Additional opportunistically analyzed samples frozen for ≤4.5 years also showed STX to be relatively stable (mean 97% T0). Mean percent of T0 was measured slightly above 100% in some extracts following some treatments, and (most notably) at some long-term frozen time points, likely due to evaporation from samples causing STX to concentrate, or variability between ELISA plates. Overall, these results suggest that long-term frozen storage of raw fecal samples and the analysis of extracts within 8 weeks of extraction in 50% MeOH is sufficient for obtaining accurate STX quantifications in marine mammal fecal material without concerns about significant degradation.     

长期饲喂高锌日粮对断奶仔猪免疫机能的影响

试验选用60头23日龄±1日龄临床检查健康的"杜×长×大"三元杂交断奶仔猪,按体重和性别随机分成3组,每组20头,分别饲喂基础日粮、基础日粮 3000mg/kg氧化锌、基础日粮 500mg/kg蛋氨酸锌,测定断奶仔猪免疫机能的变化。结果显示,在断奶后0d～21d饲喂高锌日粮能显著提高仔猪白细胞吞噬率和T淋巴细胞转化率,增加血清免疫球蛋白水平;而在断奶后42d、70d,仔猪白细胞吞噬率、T淋巴细胞转化和血清IgG、IgA水平显著下降。     

不同低蛋白日粮添加氨基酸对生长猪生长性能及血液生化指标的影响

采用完全随机设计,选用体重为(18.0±0.5)kg的杜长大三元杂交猪54头,随机分为3个处理,每个处理3个重复,每个重复(栏)6头猪.对照组日粮配制参照美国NRC(1998)猪饲养标准和当前福建省规模养猪常用的日粮营养水平,粗蛋白为18.59%,表观可消化赖氨酸(Lys)为0.85%.试验Ⅰ、Ⅱ组日粮在对照组日粮基础上粗蛋白浓度下调为16.96%和15.53%,相应补充合成的赖氨酸、蛋氨酸、苏氨酸,各处理日粮赖氨酸浓度相同.结果表明,Ⅰ组、Ⅱ组的日增重分别比对照组提高3.83%和2.59%(P>0.05),料重比Ⅰ组比对照组增加3.54%(P>0.05),Ⅱ组比对照组降低1.18%(P>0.05);与对照组相比,Ⅰ组、Ⅱ组血清尿素氮浓度分别降低10.43%(P<0.05)和26.78%(P<0.01),血清总蛋白、血清白蛋白各处理间相近(P>0.05);随日粮蛋白质浓度的降低(1.5和3.0个百分点),生长猪的生长性能、相关血液生化指标得到一定改善.     

Identification of Volatiles of the Dinoflagellate Prorocentrum cordatum

The dinoflagellate Prorocentrum cordatum, often called P. minimum, is a potentially toxic alga found in algal blooms. Volatile compounds released by the alga might carry important information, e.g., on its physiological state, and may act as chemical messengers. We report here the identification of volatile organic compounds emitted by two strains, xenic P. cordatum CCMP 1529 and axenic P. cordatum CCMP 1329. The volatiles released during culture were identified despite their low production rates, using sensitive methods such as open-system-stripping analysis (OSSA) on Tenax TA desorption tubes, thermodesorption, cryofocusing and GC/MS-analysis. The analyses revealed 16 compounds released from the xenic strain and 52 compounds from the axenic strain. The majority of compounds were apocarotenoids, aromatic compounds and small oxylipins, but new natural products such as 3,7-dimethyl-4-octanolide were also identified and synthesized. The large difference of compound composition between xenic and axenic algae will be discussed.     

纤维素复合酶对小麦日粮酶解效果的研究

通过使用不同添加量饲用纤维素复合酶在不同时间预消化处理小麦日粮,研究饲用纤维素复合酶添加量对小麦日粮酶解效果的影响。试验结果表明：添加饲用纤维素复合酶对小麦日粮的酶解率、中性洗涤纤维和酸性洗涤纤维有影响,但并不是饲用纤维素复合酶的添加量越高作用效果越明显。在36h处理组中,饲用纤维素复合酶添加量在0．2‰水平下,酶解效果最好,与添加量为0．12％。与0．16％。相比,差异极显著（P〈0．01）;在12h、48h处理组中,饲用纤维素复合酶添加量为0．12％。与0．16％。0．2‰水平的相比,差异不显著（P〉0．05）。     

不同饵料对点带石斑鱼幼鱼生长、营养成分及组织消化酶活性的影响

将点带石斑鱼幼鱼(15±0.5) g,随机分为3组,每组投喂不同饵料,分别为鱼肉组、配合饲料组和混合饵料组(小杂鱼和配合饲料交替投喂),每组3个重复,养殖6周后测定各组幼鱼生长指标、全鱼营养成分、肠胃消化酶活性及肝脏磷酸酶活性以研究这3种饵料对点带石斑鱼幼鱼生长、消化功能及全鱼营养成分的影响。结果表明:鱼肉组和混合饵料组的相对增重率和特定生长率均显著高于配合饲料组(P<0.05)。肠、胃蛋白酶活性呈现鱼肉组>混合饵料组>配合饲料组的趋势且差异显著(P<0.05),肠淀粉酶活性趋势相反且差异显著(P<0.05);各组肠、胃脂肪酶活性之间没有显著差异(P>0.05);鱼肉组肝脏碱性磷酸酶活性显著高于配合饲料组(P<0.05),鱼肉肝脏组酸性磷酸酶活性显著高于混合饵料组和配合饲料组(P<0.05)。各组全鱼水分和灰分含量没有显著差异(P>0.05),粗蛋白含量为鱼肉组>混合饵料组>配合饲料组且差异显著(P<0.05);粗脂肪含量趋势相反,为鱼肉组<混合饵料组<配合饲料组且差异显著(P<0.05)。因此,小杂鱼在各方面都要优于配合饲料,交替投喂小杂鱼和配合饲料是一种较好的投喂方式。     

棉红铃虫人工饲料饲养技术

设计了4种饲料配方饲养红铃虫.结果表明.以取食A、B配方的红铃虫幼虫成活率最高,分别为65.0%和68.1%;取食A配方的幼虫期最短,为18.57 d,平均蛹重18.7 mg,与红铃虫田间种群及Adkisson饲养的蛹重差别不大,可以满足室内试验需要;经过连续4代饲养后,含麦胚的饲料配方可以使幼虫期稳定在19 d左右、蛹重稳定在18mg以上,是目前能够稳定人工饲养红铃虫的最合适饲料.     

Linear models to predict the digestible lipid content of fish diets

Values for the digestible contents of nutrients in diets and feed ingredients are of utmost importance in nutritional strategies for fish. Prediction from dietary composition would eliminate lengthy, tedious and demanding digestibility experiments with fish. Apparent digestible lipid (DL) content [range 7.6–353.4 g kg⁻¹ dry matter (DM)] in compound diets can be predicted with high accuracy ( n  = 610; studies =127; fish species = 34; R ² = 0.9515; RMSE = 16.9504) from dietary crude lipid (CL) content (range 12.0–388.7 g kg⁻¹ DM) by the linear regression equation DL =−2.7303 + 0.9123 CL. Validation of this equation against 65 values from 15 independent studies presented R ² and mean prediction error (MPE) values of 0.9947 and 0.0671, respectively. The corresponding equation for 37 individual feed ingredients evaluated in 24 studies with 18 fish species ( n  = 180) was found to be DL = −1.5824 + 0.8654 CL ( R ² = 0.9717; RMSE = 8.3765). However, validation of the latter is currently hampered by a lack of independent values.     

Microcystin production during algal bloom occurrence in Laguna de Bay, the Philippines

ABSTRACT:   The amount of microcystin in Microcystis aeruginosa bloom was investigated during the rainy season of 1999 in Laguna de Bay, the Philippines. Bloom samples taken from the West Bay and East Cove stations of the lake were studied in relation to the characteristics of environmental conditions. Four types of microcystins, microcystin-LR (MC-LR), microcystin-RR (MC-RR), 6(Z)-Adda-microcystin-RR, and 3-desmethylmicrocystin-LR were identified from the natural bloom samples among which MC-LR was the most dominant type of microcystin. Production of microcystin (88.6 µg/100 mg dried cells) was highest during the first sampling week that coincided with high water transparency and high conductivity. The occurrence of a strong typhoon during the second sampling week had changed the environment drastically, which was characterized by low water transparency, high turbidity, low water temperature, and with trace amounts of MC-LR detected at the East Cove station. Thus, toxin production over time as well as the relationship between Microcystis production and toxin concentration could not be fully evaluated.